Malaugrym
| language = Common }} Also known as shadowmasters, malaugryms are creatures of pure evil native to some alien place. Consumed with a lust for power, they hungrily await any opportunity to venture to the Material Plane to extend their dominion and acquire their favorite food. They use the Plane of Shadow to reach the Material Plane, leading to the (apparently mistaken) impression that they are native to that plane. In their natural form (almost never seen), malaugryms are spherical creatures about 4 feet in diameter, with three long, powerful tentacles tipped by razor sharp hooks, and a beaked mouth in the center of their bodies. Three large, round, golden eyes surround the beak. Their hide is rubbery and thick, mottled brown and green in color. They possess an innate levitation ability and hover in the air, tentacles coiling in constant motion. Malaugryms do age, but they do not seem to die of old age. Though they might otherwise be immortal, very old malaugryms are typically eliminated by younger, stronger malaugryms hungry for their place and status. All Malaugryms speak both Common and their own language. Many choose to learn others. Their greatest delight is extending a jawed tentacle down a living captive's throat and eating him from the inside out. History Some legends claim the malaugryms are descended from a human wizard named Malaug who was supposedly the first human of Faerûn to enter the Plane of Shadow. The malaugryms made their first return to Faerûn centuries ago, when they earned the enmity of Elminster. They made appearances on at least two separate occasions since that time, once in the Year of the Prince in the hope of learning the secret of spellfire, and once in the Year of Shadows, during the Time of Troubles. At least 5 malaugryms are still at large in the realms as of the Year of Wild Magic. Arathluth, who is a male, and Taluth, who is a female, these are two of the five rogues. Racial Traits *'Abilities:' Malaugrym are, both physically and mentally, superior to many, if not most other races. They are possessed of an uncanny, malicious intelligence and a remarkable charismatic presence, despite the abhorrent appearance of their natural form. They are also astoundingly agile, far beyond the ken of the regular human, as well as, to a lesser extent, being stronger and more hardy than one. *'Alternate Form:' Malaugryms can assume the form of any creature of less than deity status or a single object. When assuming the form of a humanoid creature, a malaugrym's physical abilities are the same as in its natural form, not those of an average member of that race. In any form, a malaugrym's true identity can be guessed at by the golden light that glimmers in its eyes. *'Fast Healing:' Malaugrym are notoriously quick to recover from wounds, which, with time, seal up on their own. *'Damage Reduction:' Malaugrym are immune to all weapons, save for those that are magical or made from silver. Magic weapons behave as regular ones would, harming them, and ones of silver are particularly devastating, and leave wounds that the Malaugrym cannot heal naturally, but require magical attention. *'Poison Immunity:' Malaugrym are immune to all poisons. *'Spell Resistance:' A malaugrym has the ability to resist magical attack, particularly from less experienced casters. References Sources *